Jesus has overcome Satan and angels minister to Him after 40 days of fasting. Note: this is why we fast 40 days in the season of Lent.

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

Then, St. John the Baptist is thrown into jail.

And Jesus took up the call for repentance.

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is at hand.

The next few verses speak of how Jesus called the Apostles Andrew, Peter, James and John. Then comes the verse with which we began.

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, ….

Ok. Let’s pause there. The Gospel of the Kingdom seems to be equivalent to “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”

What does Jesus mean that the “Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”?

This is “good news” (i.e. gospel) to the Jews. You see, they were awaiting the Messiah to open heaven’s doors for them. They were aware that their fore fathers had not entered heaven and, those who believed the promises, were awaiting the Messiah to lead them into the “promised land”. They could not look forward to entering heaven, until the Messiah came. If you don’t believe me, let me show you from Hebrews 11:

Hebrews 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

After showing how the Jews of the Old Testament had, by faith, done so many good things. In verse 39, St. Paul reveals they had received the promise, they not been admitted into heaven. But Jesus is preaching that, if they repent of their sins, they can expect to enter into heaven, because heaven is “at hand”. It is “imminent”. That is very good news, to the Jews. That is the Gospel.

Let’s look at another one.

Gospel in St. Mark

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD,15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND: REPENT YE AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.

This one is easier. St. Mark concisely puts the context we need into two verses. Again, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is equivalent to the good news that the Kingdom of God (i.e. heaven) is imminent. Again, Jesus is calling for a conversion of the heart, repentance for sin, in order that they might be able to enter the Kingdom.

Gospel in Luke

Its a little bit harder to see the connection between gospel and kingdom of heaven in this Gospel. But, it is there.

In Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;

And in Luke 4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

Again, gospel seems equivalent to “the Kingdom of God”. In other words, the “good news” that the Kingdom of God is at hand, therefore repent of your sins so that you may enter in.

Is St. Paul’s Gospel different from Jesus’ Gospel?

The simple answer is, “no.” St. Paul identifies very closely with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At one point, he even calls it, “my Gospel”.

Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

But what does St. Paul mean by my “Gospel”?

It is the same Gospel as that of Jesus Christ, except that this Gospel is now also being preached to the Gentiles.

Romans 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

It is also very Sacramental. Notice the words, “offering up”? He is speaking of the Eucharist.

Summary

Essentially, then, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that the Kingdom of heaven is accessible to Jew and Gentile, alike. If they repent of their sins.

My name is not, De Maria. But De Maria is who I am. About 30 years ago, the internet was new. And many of us, including my wife and I, considered it the Beast of Revelations. Therefore, we stayed off of it. But, one day, after experiencing a very powerful conversion back to the Catholic Church and the Spirit, being strong within me, made me yearn to teach the Faith. Little did I know, how little I knew about the Faith I practiced.

Becoming a Catechism teacher took me back to the days when I was young and hungry for knowledge. But in those days, no one wanted to be bothered answering my questions. And I believe that is one of the reasons why I fell away. No one could explain the Faith to me in a manner that was satisfactory. I didn't want to be that type of Catechist. I wanted to understand so that I could pass on my understanding. But it soon became obvious to me, that I didn't understand very much at all.

Then, one day, someone said, "why don't you ask for explanations on the Internet? There are lots of knowledgeable people there." So, I investigated. And, thanks be to God, I found a now defunct website for Catechists. I learned so much from them. I can't ever repay them.

But, back to my pen name, De Maria. Back then, most of us distrusted the Internet. And this forum for Catechists did not permit us to use our real names. They required pen names. So, since I love Our Lady, I took her name. (I am a guy, by the way.) In the grand tradition of male Saints who have adopted Our Lady's name, for instance, St. Louis "Marie" de Montfort and St. Alphonsus "Marie" de Liquori. And that's who I am. I believe that I belong to Mary and that I am sent by her to preach about her Son.